Monday, February 8, 2010

Living across the street from me was another one of my best friends, Joseph. I do not remember when we met, but I believe we went to the same elementary school for maybe a year or two. Again, like my other friends, he did not, for the most part, attend the same schools as I did; he spent most of his childhood in Taiwan because his father lived there. He did, however, go to high school in America, although in a different city. After that, he attended UCR and I UCSC.

One thing I would like to note is his strong ties with his ancestry. Of all of my friends, he is the closest with his ethnic roots; I assume this is due to his spending many years in Taiwan. The reason why I mention this is so that you may better understand the social and cultural environment in which I grew up. The majority of my city's population is ethnically Asian with a large number, if not most, being immigrants. My generation, the first generation Americans, have mostly assimilated to American culture and with that, have lost the majority of our connections with our ancestry.

Another thing I want to point out is his conversion to Christianity. I do not remember any mention of religion when we were children and so I was very surprised when I found out that he had become a devout Christian. I want to mention here that I am not religious, but I am nevertheless very tolerant of people who are. This acceptance is a direct result of the positive impressions that I have received from Joseph of Christianity. He is currently the most religious person I know.

Joseph is also the most industrious of all of my friends. This characteristic of his I greatly admire. He is occupied everyday from morning till night, constantly doing something. Sadly, I cannot say the same for myself.

The last and most important point I would like to make is that Joseph is one of the very few people with whom I can have logical and productive debates. Because of the importance of such debates to me and because very few people enjoy having them, it is very difficult for me to make new close friends. This loneliness that I experience when I am away from home only makes me cherish even more my time with childhood friends. The more experience I gain in life, the more I realize how irreplaceable these types of friendships are.

The purpose of this blog is to be a supplement to my future autobiography. Having my daily recordings will present in more detail all the interesting experiences and reflections that I have had. My autobiography, in contrast, will present a more general analysis of my life, hopefully written with the perspective acquired from a lifetime of experience.

These are the recordings of an ordinary person trying to live an extraordinary life.